prelude
4
6.7
- noun
- /ˈprɛljuːd/
:
preludio
- At the Lincoln School graduation, I played a Rachmaninoff prelude.
- Bach's preludes
- Wordsworth's Prelude
I'm not that long song, you know, I'm that prelude.
- I'm not that long song, you know, I'm that prelude.
- It was played a Bach prelude and some Bach feud, but they were very simplified and incorrect.
Examples
-
Do you know the Prelude in E minor?
-
I'll give you a prelude and fugue, followed by a hymn.
Fiction book (1999) -
Tonight, you will play for me a prelude to our final act.
-
Now he must sing a prelude, like all the others.
Fiction book (1992) -
Let me play a Bach prelude for you.
-
Just then the organist cut loose with the prelude, something harsh, loud, and medieval.
Fiction book (1998) -
The university Brazilian ensemble opened the concert with a percussion prelude while the singers positioned themselves on the risers.
Academic text (2009) -
Before the opera begins, the orchestra will perform a beautiful prelude to set the mood.
-
The concert opened with a lively prelude, preparing the audience for the main performance.
-
He composed a short prelude that smoothly transitions into the main piece of music.
Synonyms
11
7.7
A short piece of music played at the start of an opera or long musical work
A short orchestral piece that introduces a larger work like an opera
Compounds
- Specialized
A short organ piece that uses a hymn tune and often introduces singing
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
prelude = pre + lude
The prefix 'pre-' (before) is visible, but the root 'lude' is not a standalone English word and the specific musical sense is conventionalized, so learners cannot fully derive the precise musical meaning from the parts alone.
Etymology
Prelude comes from the Latin parts pre- 'before' and ludere 'to play'. It originally meant 'to play before' the main piece, so a musical prelude is a short piece that introduces a larger work.